Split Up
by Thunderstorm101
Summary: Warnings: AU, angry Bakura, angst, listless Ryou, unspecified POV...you get the picture. Basicly, Ryou and Jou have to find Bakura and Honda before Ryou and Bakura die...oh, and there's this old witch trying to kill them all. ON HAITUS
1. Grasshopper Stew

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(A/N) I'm putting Peace Never Lasts on hold for a while, sorry to those of you that liked it, but I can guarantee its continuation.

In this fic, an unknown villain separated Ryou and Bakura so that they could no longer balance each other out and be a threat to her evil plans.

Also:

/ hikari to yami

/ yami to hikari

**Disclaimer** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, meaning that any and all Yu-Gi-Oh! Characters and/or ideas used in this fanfiction DO NOT belong to me. The OCs, however, are all mine! Right down to the corny names.

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Chapter One Grasshopper Stew

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Jonouchi sat up and stretched. He glanced up at the sky. Hmm…around noon, then. That's always a good time to wake up. It wasn't like his companions were going to complain or something weird like that. He didn't _have_ any! And he liked it that way. There was no one telling him what to do, waking him up too early, taking the credit…he really couldn't stand that. No, he was just fine by himself. Companions were only good for cooking, and _Honda_ was an even worse cook than _he_ was.

With these thoughts in mind, Jonouchi packed up his tent and walked away, chewing a breakfast of half-eaten leftover rabbit. It really wasn't bad, cold. At least he wasn't stuck eating Honda's infamous Travel Stew. Only Honda knew what went into that mess…or why it tasted like grasshoppers. Ick!

Jonouchi's train of thought continued in this manner until it was derailed when he tripped over a prone figure lying collapsed in the middle of the path. It had long, wild white hair in bad need of a brushing. It also had indeterminate gender, a fact that was _not_ helped by the loose, figure concealing traveler's outfit and cloak it was wearing.

He bent down and gently shook the figure. "Hey. Hey, it's afternoon already! Ya can't jus' _sleep_ all day!"

The figure opened large, sad brown eyes and started at him. It blinked in confusion, then looked into Jonouchi's eyes. It was like looking into a half-filled hole, or a half-finished meal, or a half-done _anything_. Like some higher being had been making a person, but had left his mind an soul only half finished. The man found himself pitying the figure.

"My name is Jonouchi."

* * *

Ryoh blinked up at the man who identified himself as Jonouchi. It had been three days since his darker half had vanished overnight, but he hadn't been able to get used to the aching _incompleteness_ he felt without his yami yet.

This "Jonouchi" person was in his early twenties—about Ryoh's age then—and had short blonde hair and warm brown eyes. He was well-muscled and wearing strong leather armor. There was a sheathed bastard sword strapped across his back.

"You alright?" asked Jonouchi.

Ryoh blinked up at him, but otherwise didn't feel inclined to answer. He'd lost _all_ contact with his darker side. He could _feel_ the Ring that linked them against his chest, but he couldn't use telepathy to reach his partner. It made him scared, lonely, depressed, and devoid of willpower.

"Need a hand up?" Jonouchi held out his hand to Ryoh. Slowly, the paler man looked to the offered hand. Then, even _slower_, as if afraid Jonouchi's hand would turn into a snake and bite him, he put his own hand into it.

Jonouchi immediately pulled Ryoh to his feet.

* * *

Jonouchi was more than a little surprised at the pale figure's slow trust. Though the question remained, was this a _man_ or a _woman_?

"Ah…what's your name?" he inquired, in an attempt to find out. The figure blinked, but otherwise did nothing. 'Alright, it _obviously_ don't wanna talk.' "Do you wanna go to the town wit' me?"

Slowly, the pale figure nodded. Then, and with much more effort than normally associated with the simple action we call "speech" it said, "Ryoh."

'Kay, that's a guy's name, so this is a guy. Sure looks like a woman, though…"

Ryoh looked blankly at Jonouchi, and did nothing until Jonouchi began to walk. Then Ryoh followed.

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Bakura woke up, shivering, in the cave where he'd fallen asleep. Again, he attempted to contact his hikari.

/Ahou! Where _are_ you? Yadonushi-sama, you are beginning to try my patience, so stop playing dumb! Where _are_ you? Well…? Where _are_ you, hikari? Ryoh…? You…you can't hear me, can you…? Shimatta.

Growling in frustration, the man with wild white hair and feral red eyes began to trek along the pathway, hoping against hope to find someone willing to help him find the other half of his soul before his lost his mind.

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Honda whistled merrily as he prepared his famous Travel Stew. A bit of _this_, a pinch of _that_, some leftover rabbit, let's not forget the secret ingredient…grasshoppers! Best served boiled up with a bunch of other stuff! With Jonouchi gone, there wasn't anyone around to complain about his cooking! Or…so he thought.

"Did you just put _bugs_ in that?" a voice asked from the shadows between the trees.

"Yes, grasshoppers, but you can't tell. It's my secret ingredient."

"To each their own, I suppose. _Personally_, I don't care _what_ I eat…just as long as it doesn't make me sick afterward."

"Uh…I'm Honda…"

"Bakura."

"Want food?"

"Want a quest?"

To be continued…

(A/N) So… how was chapter one? I know it's a bit short, but my hands like to cramp on me after a while.

Review, tell me what you thought of it, and submit suggestions! It doesn't take long… just click on the happy purple button that says "go" on it, type what you think (you don't have to be intelligent about it) and click on the even happier button that says "submit review".

So…easy easy!

REVIEW…REVIEW…REVIEW…!

THE AUTHOR MUST FEED HER SISTER!


	2. Enter the Bad uh Gal?

**(A/N)** Well, chapter two is out, but I don't know _why_. I mean, it's not as if I was _reviewed_.

I can't say this enough. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW…

Chapter three will not come out unless I get at least five reviews!

I would respond to reviews here, but guess what? I DON'T HAVE ANY!

I read in a book somewhere that anyone who uses more than three exclamation points is insane. What do you think?

**

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or any of the characters that I have taken from it. I do, however, own the town of Greensdale, as well as the characters of Coplain and the mysterious villain whose name will be revealed in the next chapter if anyone makes me want to post it. You mean people don't review me! I feel unloved…**

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**Chapter 2**

_**Enter the Bad…uh…Gal?**_

Jonouchi sighed as he trudged along. He and the man "Ryoh" would reach the town around nightfall. It was just that his companion was so quiet.

"What're ya doin' out here?" Jonouchi asked, trying to start a conversation. He'd get Ryoh talking if it _killed_ him!

"…"

"C'mon! You can tell me!"

"Searching," Ryoh said that one word with such finality…he could be on a quest!

"Searchin'. Okay, I got that. But, for what? Are you on a quest?"

Ryoh looked at him, and seemed to be trying to discern if this was some kind of a sick joke. Then he nodded, uttering a single name: "Bakura."

"'Bakura'? Who's _dat_? Friend of yours?"

This got the most reaction out of his silent companion Jonouchi had seen so far! They'd known each other for _hours_…this seemed out of character. Ryoh stopped, then burst out crying. He sank to his knees, sobbing, with tears streaming down his face, and his shoulders shaking.

"He-he's my _partner_! I m-met him when I was sixteen, and we've done _everything_ together since then! He knows me better than I know myself, and vice-versa! About three days ago, Bakura disappeared overnight. I looked all over, but he wasn't _anywhere_! Please, Jonouchi, help me find him! He's the only person I've ever been friends with for over half a year!" The man cut off, sobbing uncontrollably.

Jonouchi felt uncomfortable. 'So _that's_ why he feels so upset…his best bud disappeared! "Don't worry! I'll help you find Bakura! And, I'll be your friend, too. A guy needs more than one friend."

"Th-thanks…" Ryoh wiped his tears away, and got to his feet. "You're in charge. I don't feel like talking—to anyone."

Ryoh's mind was a turmoil of confusion. Why had he just let the torrent of his emotions flood out, burdening Jonouchi? 'Or, a better question, why did I spill my guts to a man I just met an hour ago? Well, if he really meant it about being my friend…'

His thoughts broke off, when Jonouchi cried out, "Welcome to Greensdale!"

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Ryoh looked around. "Greensdale" was a large town, and _everything_ was brown or sickly yellows…the buildings, the plants, the dirt, the people…_everything_. He turned to look at Jonouchi.

Jonouchi looked back.

Ryoh blinked.

"C'mon," Jonouchi started, "how about we head over to the inn? We could use some rest, the sun's goin' down, and I wanna be able to wake up before noon so we can look for your missin' friend."

Ryoh smiled. That sounded like a good plan.

* * *

Honda and Bakura looked at each other. Then they spoke in unison. "Yes!" 'Finally! A _quest_!' Honda thought. And _this_ time, his companion wouldn't complain about his cooking, or try to travel three miles a day before setting up camp!

"So," Bakura began, sitting on a nearby log, "is there something besides grasshoppers in the stew that I should know about?"

"Nah, the rest's normal. So, what's this about a quest?"

* * *

Bakura grinned. The man Honda was _clearly_ desperate for adventure. Good.

"First, you need to know a bit about me," he began, "while you know my name, I have another name as well. The missing half of my soul is known as Ryoh."

"Wait. You're _missing_ half your _soul_?"

"Yes."

"How'd _that_ happen?"

"Ryoh and I were _already_ separate consciousnesses. An old hag of a witch cast a spell in the middle of the night while we slept. I was pulled away; cast into a separate body formed of magic. While in this state, I have on contact with my other half, my light side, my hikari."

"What'll that mean for the quest?"

"I have no conscience. I don't feel sympathy, so it will fall on my companion to steer my actions. It's not like I'm a bad person…it's just that without contact with Ryoh, I am incapable of understanding such notions."

"What about friendship?"

"It's possible, but takes a while. Most people don't want to be friends with someone who's missing the lighter half of his soul."

"So, what do we have to do?"

"We have to find Ryoh."

"Sounds simple."

"Of course! We can set out tomorrow! Now, how about we eat that stew you made before it gets cold? We can leave at first light."

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A sinister shadow that shall remain unnamed for the time being, chuckled to herself as her golden bracelets clinked together. She was looking into a mirror, and smiling unpleasantly.

"Of course, nothing is _ever_ that simple…" she purred in a husky voice. "Do you think I will simply _let_ you find your other half, Bakura? No, no…I can't have you…_disturbing_…my plans…A-hahahahahahaha!"

She then turned to a crystal and waved a hand over it. The crystal formed an image, that of an old hag.

"Yes, mistress?" the hag croaked.

"I have a job for you, Coplain."

"What is it…?"

"Stop Ryoh/Bakura from reuniting with himself."

"I thought it was enough for me to separate him…?"

"Do as I command! He is searching for himself, and he has companions to help him!"

"Yes, mistress…"

**

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(A/N) What does Coplain have in mind? Can our heroes survive it? Will you ever find out? I know the answers to the first to questions, as for the third…you will if I get reviewed. Since I've already written the next four chapters, all I need are the reviews and you get to find out what happens next.**

Even if you don't like it, review and tell me what I did wrong! Flames will be heeded!


	3. Can't we Just Camp?

(A/N): Hello, and I have decided to continue this fic, even though no one has reviewed it, in the vain hope that a new chapter will actually draw readers. I know, I know…that's kind of pathetic, and if Thunderstorm101 has _this_ much time on her hands, she should be working on Baby Sitters of Doom or Peace Never Lasts, but I've got this backlogged in my notebook, and I want to get it up.

Please, _please_, I am _begging_ you, REVIEW this!

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Disclaimer:

_The only thing I own_

_Is the story line itself_

_The characters…_

…_They are not mine._

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**Chapter Three**

_**Can't we Just Camp?**_

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Ryoh looked around at the dingy room in the inn. It smelled of over boiled cabbage and broccoli and was painted a sickly brown with sickly yellow trim. Both beds smelled like sour milk. All in all, he would have preferred camping.

Jonouchi, however, was sprawled out on one of the rank beds. No, correction, Jonouchi's bed had a hint of stale urine. _His_, however, smelled as though someone had taken to stashing rotten eggs under the mattress.

Foul.

He stared at his "noble" companion.

His "noble" companion stared back.

"Don't sweat it, Ryoh, I've stayed in worse."

'_Oh, joy,'_ Ryoh thought to himself. _'I think I would have preferred to travel by _myself_ now…I'd have a better chance of surviving…'_

"Ya know…I heard there's dis fortuneteller here in Greensdale. I was _thinking'_ she could help us found year bud, ya know? If it weren't for her, we would have stayed in Plaugesivlle. _Much_ nicer place, everything's healthy."

Ryoh stared at his companion before screwing up his courage and taking a seat on the revolting mattress. _'It's a little hard to see how this could be worse,'_ he thought, _'the room's disgusting, my companion thinks ten-o-clock is early, and I'm missing half my soul. This is going to be a _long_ quest.'_

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Jonouchi looked around and grinned. This was really his favorite recurring dream. The one where he had a mountain of food to eat.

"Oh yeah! Time to _dig in_!" he shouted, then he jumped into a pile of succulent desserts. There were rich, chocolate cakes, creamy cookies, every kind of fruit tart you can imagine, and entire foothill of pocky!

This could obviously go on forever, but Jonouchi woke in the middle of the night with an odd taste in his mouth. It appeared that he'd been eating his pillow in his sleep. It _also_ appeared that said pillow was the source of the smell of old urine.

Choking and gagging, Jonouchi looked around, trying to see what had woken him. It _couldn't_ have been the pillow…after all, he'd once eaten _rotten eggs_ in his sleep without waking.

There! There was a tree branch tapping on the shutters. It sounded kind of like a ghost. Creepy.

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Bakura looked down at his stew. Aside from the grasshoppers, there were unidentifiable _mushrooms_. If these made him hallucinate, he'd have to start looking for a new companion.

"Ah…" he began uncertainly, "Honda, has your Travel Stew ever _killed_ anyone?"

"Nah, Jonouchi used to _pretend_ it was killing' him, but he really is a joker."

"Good to know. That's—" Bakura broke off as a bird landed on his bowl. The bird cocked its head to one side, then fished a grasshopper out of the bowl. It tossed its head back, and promptly spat the insect back into the bowl.

Bakura grinned at the bird, fished out the bug, and popped it into his mouth, chewing slowly. It tasted bitter, a bit like tin, and had a definite _tang_ to it that can only be descried as "yellow green". However, he _swallowed_, and his grin only broadened as the bird fell over backward and Honda blanched.

"What?" asked Bakura innocently, doing his very best Ryoh imitation, "I'm _only_ eating the stew you made…"

"I've never seen some one do _that_, Bakura. Does it have anything to do with your lack of conscience?"

"No," Bakura's grin only broadened. His companion had _no idea_… "This is actually my sense of humor. If Ryoh was here…" he broke off, holding back tears. "If Ryoh was here, he'd be laughing so hard he couldn't stand. As it is, all I can feel is a cold emptiness where he _should_ be but isn't."

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Honda swallowed hard. As gross as that was…he supposed it was funny. Sad, too. It was hard to feel anything but pity for his torn companion.

"Well," he began, "I suppose if you're already eating, then I should start."

"Watch out for the grasshoppers…" Bakura murmured, grinning evilly.

"Wh—oh! Ugh! Nasty! Blech! How could you pretend to _enjoy_ that! Aaaugh!"

"So you'd take a bit of one," Bakura stated simply, grinning. "Good night."

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A wrinkled old hag cackled to herself as she brewed a viscous spell. Yes…Malaura would be pleased…

Coplain had a plan to carry out her mistress's wishes.

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(A/N) Ordinarily I would put review responses here, but as no one deemed my earlier chapters worthy of being reviewed, I can't do that. Shame, really.

Please, review. It's only common courtesy, and it makes me feel much better! Just click on the friendly purple button and tell me what you think!


	4. The Secret is Out

(A/N) Wow! I've got a reviewer! Thanks a bundle, Razanur!

Just so you know, knowing that even one person likes this story makes it worthwhile, because I'm writing this for me as much as you. Even my sister doesn't like it much. So…thanks for the compliments and all, and I'll try to keep it going.

Also, it's just way too much of a hassle to respond to every reviewer, so just know that it is appreciated, and you're really the only thing keeping me going here, so thankies for the pretty reviews.

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Disclaimer: I do not and never will own Yugioh or any of its characters don't ask me again.

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**Chapter Four**

_**The Secret is Out**_

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Jonouchi awoke when the sun shone upon his face, blinding him. And those birds were making such an _awful_ racket!

"Oohh…my _head_…" he moaned.

Ryoh walked over and sat next to him, looking sympathetic. The pale man smiled weakly, and jerked his head toward the door.

"Yeah…I suppose we should get going."

Jonouchi lead the way to the fortuneteller's home, and knocked on the door.

"Come in, come in…I have been _expecting _you, my one-and-one-half visitors…" a softly melodic yet eerie voice floated out of the door as it slowly creaked open, revealing nothing but darkness and the smell of incense.

"Whaddaya mean 'one-and-_one-half_'? There are _two_ of us here!"

"But your companion is but half a person."

"Huh?" was Jonouchi's intelligent retort as Ryoh smiled at him and walked inside. _'Missing half of himself?'_ Jonouchi wondered. _'I suppose hi _must_ be, if he's 'half a person.'_ "Ah! Ryoh, _wait_!" Jonouchi dashed inside, after his companion.

The adventurer's mouth dropped open when he found his companion sitting in a chair next to the creepy fortuneteller, a happy smile on his face. Not one of the half-hearted 'I suppose we'd best get this done' smiles, but a genuine 'this is the best I've felt in a while' smiles.

Jonouchi turned to the fortuneteller, confused.

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Ryou smiled contentedly. When he'd walked in, Madame Zemphonia had _done_ something, and now he felt complete.

Where there _had_ been raging emptiness, there was now warmth and strength and _hope_…this was bliss…

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"What did you do to my friend?" Jonouchi demanded. "We only came here for _advice_!"

"Jonouchi, why don't you sit down and have some tea…my name is Madame Zemphonia, by the way," stated the shrouded figure in her mysterious voice.

"Sure," Jonouchi agreed, mystified. As he sat down and helped himself to tea and some cookies Zemphonia began to speak.

"You are helping Ryou to search for the other half of his soul, yes?"

"We're looking for Bakura…"

"Bakura is the name of my darker side," Ryou said dreamily. "I'm incomplete without him. Please, Madame Zemphonia, where can I find him?"

"The two of you must travel East to the city of Navaan."

"But, that's a month's travel! And only if things go _well_!" the blonde exclaimed.

"Relax, Jonouchi. If we stay there long enough, I'm sure Bakura will arrive," Ryou stated, "after all, he's wanted to go there for _ages_."

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Honda woke to sunshine, birdsong, and a foot in his ribs.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," Bakura growled, kicking his companion again.

"Good morning to you, too. I suppose _subtlety_ was also lost with Ryou? And a little trait called _patience_?"

"We can eat on the road," Bakura stated, backing his things up.

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Bakura grimaced internally. The lack of his hikari was beginning to _hurt_. He felt impatient and irritable.

"Come on!" he snapped at his unfortunate companion, "I want to get _moving_!"

"Why, so we can get lost or something?"

"No, because I get the feeling that if I don't start looking soon, I'll loose my mind!"

"Then let's go, Bakura! If you'd told me that sooner, I'd have moved faster."

And so, the two set off, bickering all the way.

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(A/N) I am so, _so_ sorry! I went on vacation, and then I lost my notebook, and then I hurt my hand, and then I…

I'm rambling, aren't I? There are no excuses for not updating like that…no, wait; there are _hundreds_ of excuses, but no reasons. After all, you know what they say, "excuses are like assholes. Everybody has one, and they all stink."

Please R&R, I'll get moving on the updates already!


	5. Opposites

(A/N) OK, I realize that this is a shockingly fast update for me, but school starts in, OMG, like, three days! So, yeah, I'm trying to catch up on my backlog before I wind up swamped in homework.

As you know, I DO NOT own anything except for the notebook I write the chapters for my fics in, and a pair of headphones and my ideas. I'm sorry for those of you that wanted Ryou pining, but the fortuneteller is making him feel better. There shall be more pining in the future.

I will use any and all ideas that you give me in your reviews, so if you see something you suggested, then, yeah, I used the idea you gave me.

Thank you, to everyone who has reviewed, and your reviews need not have a point. It's just nice to get some ()

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Now, let's get some things straight.

"talking"

'thinking'

/mind-link/

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**Chapter Five**

_Opposites_

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"Well, since we know where to go, we should go!" cried Jonouchi, "We're not gonna get _nothing_ done just sitting around here!"

Ryou nodded, suddenly hesitant.

"Madame Zemphonia—" he began.

"Don't worry, please. Just find your darkness before this world destroys you. The light half of a person's soul shouldn't go about unprotected."

"But what do we _owe_ you?" Ryou managed to finish, "I mean, you gave us the information we need to find Bakura!"

"Find your darkness. Once you are reunited, things will return to a semblance of normal. However, there is a great evil you must defeat before you can return to what you were before. I will assist you in your quest to _defeat_ this evil."

'Whoa,' thought Jonouchi, 'this is _way_ more of a quest that I thought I'd get when I picked Ryou up. I mean, finding a friend I can do. Maybe even help find his other half. But…defeat some 'great evil'? I don't know if I can _handle_ that…'

"Jonouchi!" snapped Madame Zemphonia, startling him out of his reverie.

"What?"

"I have a special task for you."

"Great," he muttered sarcastically. 'Just what I needed. A _special_ task.'

"It is nothing you wouldn't do normally. Without his darker half, Ryou has no protection from this world. You must accompany him until he can find the other half of yourself. _You_, Jonouchi, must be his protection."

"Okay, I can handle that."

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Madame Zemphonia looked skeptically at the young adventurer. 'I know he is the one who must assist Ryou, but I wonder if he will take his duty seriously enough.'

She glanced toward Ryou, who was sitting on her couch, smiling. She had put a completeness charm on him, so he would feel complete, the way a normal person would. The youth was clearly reveling in the sensation. How sad, that it would pass once he left her home.

"Well, I guess there ain't nothing more to do _here_! Ryou, let's hit the road!" Jonouchi cried.

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Ryou snapped out of his silent contemplation of how he felt. It was _complete_, like when his yami was with him, but lonely.

/Yami/ he called/Yami, where are you? Are you going to go to Navaan, or will we wait for you forever/

"C'mon, let's _go_!" called Jonouchi, already out the door.

"Coming!" Ryou called. "Good-bye, Madame Zemphonia, and _thank you_!"

"It was nothing! Come back after you find your darkness, and good luck!"

As Ryou steeped out of the door, he felt his happiness drain away. It was as though he'd lost his other half all over again.

He watched, helpless, as everything turned hazy and dim. An aching emptiness formed inside him, and he didn't remember what he was doing here. He sank to his knew.

"Ryou? Ryou, are you OK?" a voice, a _clear_ voice penetrated the hazy world. Ryou looked up, and there was a clear figure there.

Everything about him was easy to see, and his colors were sharp and clean.

"Jonouchi…" he heard himself say.

"Can you stand?" his friend asked, worried.

Ryou shook his head, so the blonde held out his hand and pulled the slim man to his feet.

"Follow me," Jonouchi firmly ordered, then he turned and walked away. Ryou followed him, as though it were his only thought. Which it was.

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Honda nearly stumbled as he tried to keep up with his frightful companion.

"Bakura! Could you…slow…down?" he managed to gasp.

Bakura spun around and halted. His feral, blood red eyes glared at Honda. His face was twisted into a terrifying mask of anger and pain.

"If you can't catch your breath, I suppose we have no _choice_ but to stop!" the dark man growled.

"Thanks," Honda breathed, and collapsed. He had a stitch in his side so bad it felt like he'd been ripped open. As he pulled out some dried meat, Bakura snarled impatiently.

Rather than hand him anything, Honda tossed him some food. Honda knew better than to approach _anything_ that looked like that. He'd seen a cat that acted like Bakura acted now. He'd tried to help it, because it had a _badly_ broken leg, you could see where the bone had ripped through the skin, and it had scratched him all over. He had the scars to prove it.

"Honda," Bakura began, his mouth full of meat, "I have a feeling that we need to find Ryou soon."

"How soon?"

"Within the next few months."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but I don't think it's just that that's how long it'll take me to loose my mind completely. There's something else…"

"Well, no matte how urgent, looking around randomly won't _help_. Think, Bakura. Where would Ryou go? What would he do? He's your other half, you know him as well as he knows himself!"

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'Yes, I do,' Bakura thought. 'What would Ryou do…?'

It was so _hard_ for Bakura to think. He felt as though her were being ripped apart from the inside. In addition to that, he felt as though Honda had _no _right to suggest _anything_!

He could feel his senses sharpening, everything he saw hurt his eyes, and everything he heard mad his hears throb, every light touch stung. He felt like lashing our at someone, _anyone_! And he had so much energy, he couldn't sit still.

Only Honda seemed normal, like his companion was the only thing the world that couldn't harm him. Well, his companion and his opposite.

Then it hit him.

"I know what Ryou would do," whispered Bakura, his eyes haunted.

"What?" asked Honda, suddenly fearing the answer.

"He would wander for hours, calling in his mind, then collapse and lack the willpower to rise. He would lie where he fell until he either died or someone made him get up."

"_What_? But…wouldn't he be full of energy, too?"

"No. Ryou and I are _opposites_. Where he is weak, I am strong. Where he is gentle, I am harsh. He enjoys what I despise, and _nothing_ has ever affected us both the same way. My senses are growing sharper and I have too much energy. So—" he broke off.

"—Ryou's senses will dim to nothing, and he'll have no energy," Honda finished, horrified. "We have to _find him!"_

"We won't stumble across him like this, you were right. He'd head to Navaan."

"Why?"

"Because he knows that's where I would go. We should go to Navaan and wait for my other half."

"That's a two-week hike!"

"Then if you're through sitting on your ass, let's go."

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(A/N) OK, that was kind of long. So, what did you think? And don't expect updates this often on a regular basis, either. It's just that my mom thinks writing fanfiction is better for me than reading fanfiction is all.

So, R&R, or I shall sic the pink bunnies on you! Wrar!


	6. Bandits

(A/N) OK, this fic will be updated according to how many people tell me to update it next, and whether or not I have the next chapter written. So remember, backlog is your friend, and suggestions are welcome.

Very welcome. Very, very welcome indeed.

Anyway, you all know I own the fantasy world, Coplain, Madame Zemphonia, and Malaura and nothing else, right? Oh, and the plot, such as it is.

_Apart and Sad_

**Split Up**

_Chapter Six_

Bandits

Jonouchi glanced back at his morbid companion. Ryou hadn't said a _thing_ for three days now. He'd thought the man would snap out of it, but no.

"Ryou," he said sharply, as he stopped and turned about. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you?"

Ryou started at him blankly. It was even creepier than him looking half-done all the time. _Now_ he looked like there wasn't anybody home.

"Say _something_!" Jonouchi practically shouted.

"Something," Ryou obediently repeated.

"Not what I meant," Jonouchi grumbled. Then he tried another track, "Can you answer questions?"

Ryou slowly nodded.

"Okay, then." Ryou, do you know what's wrong with you?"

"Yami isn't here," the pale man whispered, sounding for all the world like a small child admitting that he was frightened of the lightning and had wet himself.

"Do you have trouble talking?"

Again, the man nodded.

"How about we stop for lunch?" _'Man, what did I get myself _into_?'_ Jonouchi berated himself.

Silently, Ryou sat on a nearby tree stump and stared blankly into space. It was hard to see how things could get worse, with Jonouchi's companion unable to do anything he wasn't told to. It had actually gotten so bad that Jonouchi had to tell the man to lay down and go to sleep at night.

As Jonouchi thought these thoughts and pulled out last night's leftover smoked salmon (they'd been lucky, and camped by a river full of fish, although it _had_ taken a while to catch one that wasn't full of eggs).

That was when the bandits leapt.

_Apart and Sad_

Ryou stared into the bushes. They were black and white, and everything sounded as though there were three feet of invisible cotton between it and him. Everything except Jonouchi, but he could tell that there was something odd about the bushes. They had men hiding in them.

Jonouchi had his back to them now; he was getting out their lunch. Ryou watched impassively as the armed men leapt out of the bushes. Oh, bandits.

He watched as three of them engaged Jonouchi, fully occupying his attention. Then he heard muffled footfalls. The fourth man was walking around behind him. _'I wonder why he's bothering with me?'_ he thought.

Then his head jerked back. Even the pain of having his hair pulled was oddly muffled, as though it was happening a long way off.

"What have we here…?" hissed the leader of the brigands, "A stupid little man that can only do as he's told…?"

'_He thinks I'm stupid,'_ Ryou thought, feeling numb.

"Well, fool? Do you have a name?"

Ryou did nothing. Jonouchi was winning his one-on-three fight handily. There was nothing for him to do. No need to move…

"STOP!" the bandit roared.

The fight stopped. Jonouchi froze in the act of knocking two men's heads together while kicking the third in the guts.

"Let my men GO, or your stupid friend here gets a new mouth in his NECK, got that, fighter-boy?"

Jonouchi growled, but complied.

"Now, fetch me all your valuables."

"Ryou!" Jonouchi cried as he pulled out their money, "they'll rob us blind, Ryou! Can't you _do_ something?"

"Don't you _get_ it?" laughed the bandit, "while you may be capable of reducing three men to groaning piles of misery, your friend here has not mind to speak of! 'Ryou' probably can't even _hear_ you, let alone understand what you're saying!" as he guffawed this, he tapped Ryou on the head.

Ryou was starting to feel upset. As most anyone can understand, it is no fun to have you life threatened, and when someone raps you on the head repeatedly, it can become quite annoying. Before the bandit even knew what was happening, Ryou's fist had slammed into his leg, just below the kneecap, with a sick cracking sound.

The bandit howled in pain and collapsed, holding his broken leg.

Jonouchi stood there dumbly, his mouth hanging open and eyes bugged out, looking like a carp.

Ryou went back to staring calmly into the bushes, as though nothing had happened.

_Apart and Sad_

Honda groaned as he stepped over yet _another_ prone would-be-robber. Only three days on the road, and Bakura had _sought out_ twenty-five groups of bandits and made them wish that they'd listened to their mothers and got a good, productive job and become nice members of society.

"Maybe…maybe we should concentrate on Navaan?" Honda hesitantly suggested. Bakura constantly had a maniac look in his eyes, and Honda _really_ didn't feel like being beaten up.

"You're right," Bakura agreed, docilely. "We _should_ get to Navaan and set about finding my hikari."

"Right," Honda sighed, relived, "and we'll _never_ get there if you keep stopping to fight these guys."

_Apart and Sad_

Bakura heard Honda's words, and knew they were true, but his blood still sung in his ears. He wanted to _fight_, damn it, but…

"Fine," he heard himself say. They had to reach Navaan, and find his lighter half, soon.

_Apart and Sad_

(A/N) so…what did you all think?

Good? Bad? Should have been longer? I'm afraid I've hit a Writer's Block on this poor story. I've got the first section of Chapter Seven done, and I would love to hear some suggestions as to what our poor, unfortunate heroes should run into on the road.

Please? If you're going to get a new chapter, I'm going to need help. My Writer's Blocks aren't the kind that go away if you wait long enough, the longer I wait, the bigger they get. So…help? R&R, the story depends on it!


	7. Monsters

(A/N) Ok, just so you people know, I am not angling for pity; I am simply stating a fact. Updates will now become erratic and basically whenever I feel up to it, because my entire world has been taken for a loop.

My head is screwed up, and my life will probably follow while I try to find out where I stand. High school is cool and all, but I don't really like the feeling that I have responsibility for myself and everything's all…hard. I understand that reading about my personal problems is not what you really wanted, you wanted the next chapter of Split Up, and it's coming, really. I just need to get this off my chest.

I _am not_ angling for pity or sympathy or anything like that, I just think that you all deserve to know why this is going to get a little messed up. My grandmother is in the hospital with pneumonia, and she's not doing so well. She's actually on a respirator, and everything is really messed up right now. So, I apologize again for the way things are going screwy, but my life is messed up, and that's having a drastic affect on everything.

I really shouldn't need to do this on top of everything else, but: I do not own Yugioh. I do not own Cristina Aguilera. I do not even _like_ Christina Aguilera. Get it? Got it. Good.

13131313

**Chapter Seven**

**Monsters**

Coplain grimaced to herself as she stared into her scrying ball. If left to themselves, those bumbling nit-wits would meet up in no time at all, and her mistress would be very, very angry.

Well, she would just have to see to it that one or both of them died before either reached Navaan. Either that, or one of the companions…

Coplain broke into a malicious grin as a plan began to take form. Yes…that would stop them…

13131313

Jonouchi trudged slowly along the path, Ryou following behind him. There was still quite a ways to go before they would reach Navaan, and the _needed_ to get there before his somber companion disappeared completely.

He risked a glance back at the white haired man, and was unsurprised to see empty brown eyes locked on him as Ryou mindlessly followed.

'_This isn't right,'_ Jonouchi thought to himself, _'Why do _I_ have to be the one to help Ryou find this Bakura person?'_ The golden-haired fighter was so preoccupied with contemplating his companion that he failed to notice the nine-foot ogre until he walked into it.

'_What's a tree doing in the middle of the path?' _was his first thought. The second was voiced aloud when the thing picked him up. "Oh, _shit_!"

13131313

Ryo had no control lover his body, he simply observed the dulled down world as he followed Jonouchi, a bright spot in a sea of shades of gray.

He was helpless, unable to call out a warning when his friend actually walked into an ogre. The thing was fairly small, as ogres go, merely nine feet. It wore only an old loincloth, and had thick, matted hair that hung down to its elbows. While the hair, and the ogre itself, for that matter, looked black, it was so filthy it could have been any color.

Its eyes were hidden by matted bangs, and its teeth were uneven and overlapped each other. Now Ryou was glad he couldn't see color, because those teeth were probably a sick, yellow-green color.

It picked up Jonouchi by one leg and held him upside down, causing him to swear. And drop his sword, which he had pulled out when it picked him up. Ryou couldn't move. He just stood there, the entire world muffled, except for his friend, whom he couldn't help.

13131313

Jonouchi began to panic. When the thing picked him up by his leg, he'd pulled out his sword, but then it _shook_ him, and he'd dropped it. Ryou was just standing there, staring at him. He probably didn't even understand what was happening.

"Ryou!" the fighter managed to gasp, "Ryou, run! Get out of here!"

Vacant brown eyes continued to watch him. Damn! Ryou either hadn't heard, or was so far gone he hadn't understood.

Suddenly, in a blur of speed, Ryou had darted forward, picked up Jonouchi's sword, and slashed it along the ogre's arm. The creature soared in pain a dropped Jonouchi on his head.

Everything spun, went all covered in little spots, and faded. Jonouchi had passed out.

13131313

Ryou was aware only of the ogre he was fighting and the way it took nearly all of his concentration to swing the sword. He was so focused on actually fighting the ogre that he didn't bother to do anything else. Like maybe dodge.

13131313

The ogre grinned. This was_ easy_. The first enemy was on the ground, not moving. The second enemy was swinging at it clumsily.

It brought its club around in a deceptively slow swing that caught the enemy with the white hair in the abdomen. He flew up and landed down the path. The ogre began to laugh. This was too _easy_! Far, far _too_ easy.

Yes. It _was_ too easy. The white haired enemy was getting up. And now he was picking up the sword. And now he was running forward. The ogre lifted its club, and the white haired enemy disappeared.

13131313

It took all of Ryou's concentration to use the trick Bakura had taught him. While the ogre was distracted, he forced his body to run behind it. He then jumped up, and used Jonouchi's very sharp sword to cop the monster's head off.

He then dropped to the ground, dropped the sword, sat down, and proceeded to wait for Jonouchi to wake up.

13131313

Coplain scowled. She'd sent an ogre—an _ogre_!—against the weaker two, and that pathetic, weakling, good-for-nothing _Ryou_ had killed it!

Her ancient, wrinkled face contorted with fury, the hairy wart on her nose turned a bilious green, a sign that she was angry. The strands of dirty white hair that sprouted from her scalp flapped about in her raging aura, and pitch-black eyes shone with rage.

So…a new plan, then…

13131313

Honda jogged to keep up with his dangerous companion. Bakura _was_ walking, but it was a fast walk. It was the kind of walk people either had to run or jog to keep up with.

At least they'd been avoiding the bandits. Sure, sometimes they'd be ambushed, but Bakura could take those out, easy.

"Wa-_wait_!" the brunette puffed, collapsing.

"Wait for _what_?" Bakura snapped. "For you to get your _breath_ back?

"Y-y…yeah," Honda wheezed from his position facedown in the dirt. _'Ugh, how does he move so fast? I can barely _breath_!'_ The brunette swordsman bemoaned in his mind.

He groaned as a foot turned him over onto his back. Looking up, he dazedly saw evil-looking red eyes glaring down at him. Honda shuddered as he blacked out.

13131313

Coplain's hunch-backed figure stood before a great gold-edged mirror that, fortunately, didn't reflect her hideous visage, instead it showed swirling reds and purples and golds. It took up an entire wall, and the gold bordering its sides was shaped into screaming faces, grotesquely contorted parodies of humanity.

"When can I do to sop those fools? She ground out in her cracked, gravely voice.

**_Separation_**, the mirror spoke in an echoing voice, red, purple, and gold spiraling about faster, as if sensing its mistress's agitation.

The hag grinned, displaying teeth that made the late ogre's seem like Christina Aguilera's.

13131313

Bakura absently stared down at his unconscious companion. He _could_ simply leave the fool here and head to Navaan on his own, but coherent thought wasn't exactly one of this strong points right now. The red eyed haired fiend sat down by his friend and settled down to wait, deciding to go just a touch slower.

(A/N) Hey, how was that? And yes, the chapter is over. I was thinking of trying to write a Bakura-centric chapter next, what do you think?

Also, any ideas for Coplain's plots are very welcome. And if anyone goes to I use the same penname there. KK? K.


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